Jaffa

Cricket is a very complex, confusing, but at the same time an exciting game. Fans of this sport need to understand all the terminology, and only then will everything that happens on the field be as clear as possible. One example of such a term is jaffa. It can often be heard when watching broadcasts of cricket competitions; a commentator pronounces it with bright, positive emotions. But those who have recently started to be enlightened in the topic of cricket probably do not quite understand the meaning of this term. Today, we will correct this point and give a detailed description of the term jaffa (sometimes called “corker”).

What does the term jaffa mean: we tell it in simple words

If you watch a broadcast from a cricket match with a commentator, then with a complex but beautifully implemented bowler’s serve, you can hear the term “Jaffa” from him in sentences of various wording. For example:

• What a jaffa!
• It was a delightful jaffa!
• He defeated him with jaffa!

Based on the situations in which this term is used, it is easy to deduce its meaning.

Jaffa is a word that is often used in cricket to describe a bowler’s pitch that is too good and confuses the batsman. And in the coolest cases, it knocks him out of the game.

With jaffa, something remarkable always happens to the ball before it reaches the batsman. For example, when hitting a field, it goes along a non-standard trajectory, or movement through the air does not occur in the way that one can imagine. In any case, if a bowler manages to make a jaffa, it delights both fans, commentators, and teammates, but it causes big problems for the opposing batsman.

An example of jaffa in a real match

There have been a lot of examples of jaffa in the history of cricket. You can find great serves yourself using YouTube. One of the most striking examples is the pitch from Shane Warne, which the bowler sent to batsman Mike Gatting. It happened in 1993 at the Ashes tournament. You just need to type the phrase “Shane Warne Gatting Ball of the Century” into the video hosting search box, and in the first video that appears, you can watch this professional serve.

Jaffa: what synonyms can you use

Jaffa is just one of the variants of the sound of the term that is used to describe powerful serves. Both commentators and cricket fans often use other words that mean the same thing as” jaffa” but have a different sound (that is, they are synonyms).

Interestingly, the direct meaning of these words can be used in everyday life, but within the framework of cricket, they begin to mean something completely different. Here are just some examples of words that are sometimes used to replace “jaffa”:

• Corker;
• snorter;
• pearl;
• peach;
• cracker;
• beauty;
• stormer;
• and many other variations.

Without a doubt, there are many different variants of the term “jaffa” that are actively used. If you know some interesting forms of it or you yourself actively use something unique under the meaning of “jaffa” – share it with us in the comments.

What game techniques do you need to master so that jaffa happens more often

If you play cricket as a bowler, then you just need to do jaffa as often as possible. Doing this will delight your team, and you will throw problems to the opponents’ batsmen. But for a beautiful game, you need to develop skills.

We will give some examples of the skills that bowlers need to train to make spectacular pitches:

• Swing. This is a technique of fast bowling in cricket. Its goal is to force the ball to move in the air to the side before it reaches the batsman. Roughly speaking, to make the ball “swing”. This technique can really bring a lot of problems to batsmen, but it is quite difficult to learn how to master it.
• Seam bowling. One of the most difficult techniques. Its essence is that the ball deliberately hits the seam in the field, which will cause an accidental deviation when bouncing. Bowlers who possess this technique are much more likely to be able to make an unplayable pitch.
• Yorker. Another complex technique, thanks to which you can hear the exclamation “Jaffa!”. In short, it is the delivery of the ball close to the batsman’s feet. Such a pitch is very difficult to reflect, so it will almost certainly lead to taking a wicket.

Now you know everything about the term jaffa and have become even better oriented in the world of cricket.